Talk Is Cheap
by LaylaBinx
Summary: AKA: Five Times Jensen Was Rendered Speechless. Fluffy stuff inside! :p


**God, I cannot get these "Five Times..." stories out of my head! O.o Hope you guys like it! :D**

**

* * *

**

OOOOO (1. Hannah)

The first time Jake Jensen is ever left absolutely speechless is when his niece is born.

He'd been sitting by his sister's bedside, letting her squeeze the ever loving shit out of hand every time there was a contraction and teased and bantered with her to lighten the mood. He'd been talking to the doctors, flirting with the nurses, asking questions, wanting answers, wondering out loud, experimenting with names and picturing what she would look like. He was going to be an uncle in a matter of hours and it was getting down to the final countdown.

A few of the nurses ask if he's the father and Jensen grins and politely tells them that no, he's not. He doesn't go into the fact that his niece's father split the second he found out he was going to be a dad and never looked back. So, as far as dad duty goes, Jensen may not be the biological father but by God his name is going on that birth certificate.

At seven hours into her labor, Emily breaks one of his fingers. Jensen suppresses a wince and grins instead. "She's giving you trouble already, huh Em?"

Emily grits her teeth and legs out a ragged breath. "I swear to God, this kid is trying to rip me in half!" She half-growls, half-shouts, tossing her head back on the pillow as a nurse comes to stand by her bedside and reads the print outs that are steadily streaming from the machine in front of her.

"I think its time." The nurse says with a smile and there's suddenly five more people in the room: three nurses, Emily's ob/gyn, and another man wearing faded green scrubs. They all hustle around the bed, squeezing past Jensen and crowding him to the wall. He back up and lets them do their work but he talks the entire time.

"Is everything okay over there?" He can't see anything but he can hear Emily groaning in pain and its sends his brother senses into overdrive. "Emily, you okay? What's with all the machines going off at the same time? Jesus, does it really take this many people to deliver one baby?" He talks because its the only thing he can do and he hates feeling helpless.

There's a brief pause, a painful gasp from Emily, and then the tiniest, most beautiful sound in the world. A baby crying. Suddenly, Jensen can't move, he can't speak, he's completely frozen against the wall. The baby's cries become a wail and the doctor in the green scrubs bundles her in a tiny blanket and walks toward the door as the other doctors keep their focus on Emily. As much as he's drawn to stay by his sister's side, he needs to see the baby too. He needs to see her for himself.

He steps out of the delivery room, following the green-scrubbed doctor down the hall to the nursery. The door locks the minute he steps through them but Jensen doesn't follow; instead, he stops in front of the row of windows the peek inside the nursery and watches from the outside. He watches as they weigh and measure her and he's unconsciously counting her fingers and toes. She's pink and screaming and perfect.

One of the doctors inside nods to him and walks over to open the door. "Feel like seeing your little girl, Dad?"

Jensen doesn't bother to correct him, he just walks into the nursery wordlessly and walks over to the crib they've placed her in. They're still bustling around her, taking vital signs, recording all kinds of things that he doesn't understand, and in the midst of all of it, Jensen finds that for once, he has nothing to say.

He reaches into the crib, catching her tiny hand in his and her little fingers curl around his thumb. He feels like he can't breathe, like everything in the world stopped at the same time, and its the single most incredible thing he's ever felt. He swallows, his throat suddenly dry and words feeling foreign in his mouth. Finally, he manages to get past the initial shock of seeing his niece for the first time and smiles. "Hi Hannah..."

**OOOOO (2. Loser)**

The first time Jensen meets Clay, he literally runs into him. He's handcuffed, being hauled away by two heavily armed guards who want nothing more than to be rid of him and his incessant talking. He was trying to make a point; in a nation scared to death of being taken over by terrorism again, the Pentagon had a laughably weak security system set up for their mainframe. He'd managed to hack into in only a few days but he'd left a trace and they linked it back to him. Now, he was handcuffed and on his way to a very tiny cell with no windows. It didn't mean he wasn't going to try to talk his way out of it though.

"Seriously guys, if the Pentagon wants to protect their entire computer system from total failure they're going to have to have a better security set up than that. I mean it took me two days to- oops, sorry..." He mumbles as his shoulder collides with an older man standing against the wall in the hallway. The man gives him a funny look but Jensen barely notices; he's used to getting funny looks from people. "I mean, all you really have to know are the right algorithms in the correct sequences and its totally easy to gain access to-"

"Excuse me." The older man steps forward and begins talks to the guards. Jensen isn't really listening, he's trying to figure a way out of the handcuffs. They're tight but he's gotten out of handcuffs before. All you really have to do is rotate your wrist just a little bit-

He hears the man ask why he's being dragged away and pipes up in spite of the ugly looks he's getting from the guards. "I hacked into the Pentagon's computer system." He shrugged a little bit, still working with the handcuffs behind his back. "I was trying to prove a point and-"

The guards had had enough and were getting ready to drag him away again but the other man kept talking. He was saying something about a simulated drill and authorization but once again, Jensen wasn't listening. His wrist was sore and the skin was more than likely broken from everything he was doing with the metal cuffs but if he could have just a few more minutes then...

Amazingly, the guards let go and shoved him into the older man's hands, walking down the hall and asking for information on a simulated attack on their walkie-talkies. Jensen simply blinked in surprise and awe, looking back at the man who had just tricked him out of armed custody. "That was incredible! I can't believe you got those guys to believe you! Man, I bet you could talk down a brick wall if it really came down to it-"

The man had steered him out of the hallway and into the parking lot before he stopped. "Did you really hack into the Pentagon?" He asks point blank once they're outside. There's a sharp edge to his voice, someone who's used to being in control and will get then answer he wants one way or the other.

Jensen grins and nods a bit. "Yeah, I did. More than once actually, three times to be exact. This is the only time they've ever caught me." There's a strange look on the older man's face as he listens and Jensen is too relieved to be out of the guards hands to stop talking now. "I've gotten into the White House computer system a couple of times too. Did you know that the president's email is only guarded by a couple of flimsy firewalls? Seriously, one of the most powerful guys in the nation and they can't protect his email account any better than that?"

The man is studying him, taking in all the details of the way he speaks and if what he's saying is true. "And you just do this in your spare time?"

Jensen grins again and nods. He rambles on about his job, his real job in the military, and how boring it is. He isn't really sure what he expects to gain from this man or his questions but if it keeps him out of prison, he'll be willing to try anything. He certainly wasn't expecting a job offer.

"What's your name, soldier?"

"Jensen, sir. Jake Jensen."

The older man smirks and nods. "Alright then Jensen." He sobers immediately. "I'm the leader of an elite Spec Ops team, we do the things no one else wants to do, and we could really use someone like you in our ranks. We need a tech guy, someone who can think on their feet and bend the rules; a lot of what we do isn't exactly legal." The last part of the sentence dips and Jensen is convinced this is some kind of trick. "What do you say?"

Jensen doesn't say anything. He's silent for the first time since he'd met this man and its unusual for him to be on the quiet end of the conversation. He prides himself on being able to read people, know when they're lying or telling the truth, but this man is different. The lines are blurred. "This is a trick right?"

"Its not a trick." The other man assures him calmly. "This is an honest to God job offer. Its either this or jail..." He leaves the offer open for another few seconds. "I need an answer, soldier."

Jensen smiles and holds out a hand he's just managed to free from the handcuffs. His wrist is raw and there's a small amount of blood running into his palm, but the man shakes his hands anyway. "Welcome to The Losers, Jensen."

**OOOOO (3. Bolivia) **

Nothing in the entire world prepared him for the sight of seeing that missile crash into the chopper filled with kids. Nothing prepared him for the absolute horror of seeing the whole thing burst into flames and fall out of the sky like a bird that had been shot. Nothing was more horrible than hearing the screams and cried being drowned out by the roar of the flames as they consumed the wreckage.

No one was talking, no one was moving, there was nothing they could do. The flames climbed higher, scorching the earth in all directions and they could feel the heat on their faces. There were no survivors, no one had any doubts about that, and it was worse knowing that they had inadvertently sent those kids to their death. That missile was meant for them, that should have been them in the flames and twisted metal, taken down by a mad man bent on their destruction. Instead, he'd gotten a chopper full of kids, led to their deaths like the proverbial lamb to the slaughter. It was sickening to think about.

Clay is behind him, muttering the words "nonononono" over and over like its going to change anything. He vagues hopes that it might do something, turn back the clock, reverse anything that just happened, but it won't. Roque is next to him, spitting curses and snarling like a feral dog who's missed one too many meals.

Pooch is a few feet away, back turned to them as he loses the contents of his stomach all over the grass. They all know Jolene is pregnant and seeing twenty-five kids go down in flames probably isn't doing anything for his reserve. Hell, all Jensen can think of right now is Hannah, trying not to imagine her lying among the wreckage of the chopper like all the other kids. Its making him sick too.

Cougar is on his knees, staring at the flames as they continues to crackle and roar. He's whispering, saying something none of the others understand and he's speaking too softly for them to hear anyway. He's clutching the small rosary he keeps next to his dogtags and whispering the same thing over and over again. Jensen's pretty sure its a prayer.

He doesn't say anything; there's nothing to say. All he can do is stare at the flames like Cougar is, trying desperately convince himself this is all some kind of horrible dream. He knows what this means, he knows they can never go back. He knows that to everyone else they're dead. Clay and Roque have tossed their dog tags into the flames wordlessly. Pooch does the same thing a minute later, slipping his wedding ring off the chain and clutching it like a lifeline. Cougar tosses his tags into the flames as well but he'd still praying almost as if he's making an offering. Jensen slips his tags off and thinks of Emily and Hannah. He thinks about the men that will arrive at Emily's front door and tell her that he's been Killed in Action. He thinks about her telling Hannah, her blue eyes filling with tears when she realizes her uncle is never coming back. It makes him sick and he tosses the tags into flames bitterly. There's nothing to say so they all just sit there and stare until the flames burn out and there's nothing left of the chopper or their lives before.

**OOOOO (4. Aisha) **

Jensen figured eventually he'd learn to stop talking so much around Aisha. She was a member of their team now and damn good one at that but she wasn't nearly as patient with him as the others were. Hell, even Roque put up with more of his shit than Aisha did. Granted, it usually ended up with him punching the younger man in the head to get him to shut up but Aisha would just threaten to shoot him. And he believed her.

It had been about two months since they got back into the states, two months since the Battle of the Docks as Jensen liked to call it. No one spoke about Roque or his betrayal; the wounds were still too fresh. They were still looking for Max, Clay would die before he gave that up, but it was nice to see their families again without having to use satellites.

They were camped out in a small apartment about two blocks away from Pooch and Jolene's house. It was close enough so Pooch could dote on his wife and son at any given moment but far enough away to where they could do their work without interference. Pooch was with Jolene at the moment leaving the others to fend for themselves in the apartment until he got back. It was late, nearly midnight, and Aisha and Clay had gone into the back room to go over the information Clay had dug up on Max. There was still a Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy in their apartment and it pertained to everything from Pooch and Jolene to the relationship between Clay and Aisha. Jensen knew better than to ask but his curiosity had a habit of getting the best of him.

Cougar was sitting next to the window, staring out at the cars passing below and Jensen was lounged on the faded grey couch they'd found at a garage sale. It was comfortable enough but it smelled like smoke and there were too many suspicious stains for Jensen to let his guard down completely. He looked up when Aisha walked into the living room and adjusted the thermostat. Her hair tousled and her clothes were wrinkled like they'd been laying on the floor. There's a very small mark right beneath her ear that looks almost like a hickey and Jensen can't keep his mouth closed anymore.

"Hey Aisha?"

The woman turns and looks at him, raising one eyebrow just enough to give the indication that she heard him.

"Does Clay ever ease up with this whole Max thing?" Self-preservation should have kicked in by this time and told him to stop while he was ahead but it was conveniently MIA at the moment. "I mean he talks about it all the time and I was just wondering is he ever stops. You know, like when you guys are alone?"

The eyebrow arches a bit higher and Aisha turns to face him more directly.

"I mean, I know "go over the plan" is usually code for bang like its National Geographic but does he ever stop when you guys are in the middle of-"

"Jensen." Aisha's voice is sharp like a verbal slap and she cuts him off abruptly. "If you don't stop talking right now, I'm going to toss you down the stairs and tell Clay you tripped."

Jensen blinks at the threat. He knows she's serious but he also knows that Cougar is in the room and would pounce on her before she got a chance to. Still, Cougar wasn't around all the time and there would be plenty of opportunities for her to do something equally awful when the Sniper was away. "Okay, sorry..." He says quickly, holding up his hands in defense. "I was just wondering, you know? Because Clay is so used to giving orders I wasn't sure if that carried into the bedroom or-"

"Jensen!"

"Sorry!" Jensen closes his mouth immediately and keeps it closed while Aisha stares at him. Its a long time before she leaves and honestly, she thinks its probably the longest Jensen's ever gone without talking unless he's unconscious. She leaves the room, walking back into the bedroom and slamming the door. Jensen is still quiet and Cougar is having a hell of time keeping the grin off his face.

**OOOOO (5. Cougar)**

The sun is blinding by the time he makes it out of the building, his eyes watering at the intense brilliance. His glasses are cracked and the frames are bent, making it really hard to see. He's filthy, covered in sweat and dirt and blood but he could care less about all of that. He was just happy to be out of there.

Everything had been going according to plan until someone had snuck up on him from behind and clubbed him over the head with something blunt and heavy. He woke up in an empty room, tied to a chair and facing two huge men. They were Max's henchmen no doubt and whatever they had planned for him wasn't going to be good.

He'd been there three days (at least he thought it was three days) and he knew that they had no intentions of letting him go alive. Luckily, most of their interrogation techniques involved little more than beating him senseless. Jensen could handle that, it wasn't the first time it had happened and it certainly wouldn't be the last. At some point, when Clay was demanding where they'd taken him over the speakers of the phone, one of them had told him that Jensen was dead. Big fucking mistake. Because now, not only would they come looking for a body, they would be making a body count as well.

Jensen had managed to untie the ropes behind his back while they were convincing Clay he was dead and was simply waiting for the moment to strike. One of them approached him, gun in hand, and was prepared to carry through and make their lie the truth. Jensen waited for a few seconds longer before he whipped his arms around, grabbed the gun from the surprised man and fired. The gun shot was deafening in the tiny room and he could hear Clay yelling his name over the speakers. The others were screaming his names as well, dividing their time between making death threats and trying to get any kind of answer from the man they thought was now dead. Jensen didn't have time to answer them, he turned the gun on the other guard and fired twice, waiting until he slumped to the ground before he began untying the knots at his feet. As much as he wanted to tell Clay he was alright, he knew that reinforcements would be coming before long and he needed to get the hell out of dodge and fast.

He stood, staggering a bit from sitting for so long, and ran to the door. Getting out wouldn't be a problem, getting past the rest of the armed men might be. He turned into an empty hallway and ran toward the exit, shooting two more ment that tried to intercept him. He wasn't sure how many there were but he wasn't waiting around to find out. He kicked open the emergency exit door and stumbled outside holding up his arm to block the sunlight.

A black van screeched into view just as he was turning the corner of the building. He saw Clay and Aisha jump out and rush into the building, guns drawn. A second later Cougar was out of the van as well, a grim look on his face as he made his way around the back of the building to get a visual on their targets. He nearly ran head first into Jensen as he came around the corner.

Jensen winced (there were probably some broken ribs in there) and grinned at the startled Sniper. "Hey Cougs, good timing."

The older man stared at him in disbelief, his dark eyes wide. He was completely still, looking as if he were carved out of marble, and it took a few seconds before he regained any power of movement. "Jensen...?" He asked, almost as if he were afraid the younger man would disappear if he spoke any louder.

"Yeah." Jensen grinned again, ignoring the swelling along his jaw and the black eye that was obscuring his vision. "Glad you guys got here when you did. It was getting pretty crazy in there."

Cougar wasn't listening, at least it didn't look like he was listening. He dropped his gun (something Jensen had never seen him do) and cleared the space between them in a single step. He took the Hacker's face in both of his hands, brushing his thumb over the bruises and scrapes that covered his skin, and looked at him closely. "You're alive..." It wasn't a question or a statement, Cougar was trying to convince himself he was real.

Jensen smiled a bit. "Yeah buddy, I'm alive."

The Sniper grabbed him then, squeezing him tightly and holding on for dear life. It was hard to breathe and his (probably) broken ribs were protesting the embrace but Jensen couldn't move away. Instead, he hugged back, glad to be alive to experience this.

"God...I thought you were dead...we heard the guns shots and then it went silent and-" Cougar was talking now, speaking more than Jensen had ever heard him in one sitting. He'd broken off into Spanish by this point and was probably telling him all of the terrible things he was planning to do to those men if they'd really done anything to him.

Jensen figured someone should tell Clay and Aisha that he was alive but he couldn't bring himself to pull away. Cougar was still muttering in Spanish, things Jensen couldn't understand but he didn't care. He stayed quiet, listening and closing his eyes, leaning against the older man's shoulder.

The hug tightened slightly and Cougar shook his head. "I thought I lost you..."

Jensen doesn't say anything, there's nothing he can say. All he knows is that this is the only place in the world he wants to be right now.

* * *

**Hehe, speechless Jensen is fun to play with ^.-**


End file.
